Personal Life

I'm back!  I know its been a while since my last review, but worry not my few readers!  I've been busy settling into my new, awesome apartment, figuring out my classes, and, most importantly, I've started volunteering for the student run radio station here at CU: KVCU 1190.  This, my friends, is incredibly good news because 1) I have a whole slew of brand new, independent music at my finger tips 2) I may be able to start writing long reviews for KVCU and may get some more people trekking through my blog and checking it out and 3) I'm going to be listening to and writing reviews for a significant amount more music.  With that being said, I got my first CD to review a couple of days ago and I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised.

"There's nothing we can do if I don't believe you..."

When I got The Thermals' album "Personal Life," I was a little skeptical.  The person that gave it to me at KVCU said it was one of her favorites and the review that came with it was spotless.  Now, its not that I didn't trust these sources, but I definitely didn't want to be let down.  Suffice to say, I should have believed them because The Thermals definitely made me a fan with their fifth LP.  Immediately from starting the album I was surprised.  The album definitely has a strong sound, in part due to Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla who helped produce the album.  The sound is more than enjoyable for casual listeners, but will also be enjoyable for audiophiles seeing as how a majority of the album was recorded live to tape, the album was mixed to tape, and the vinyl was mastered straight from the tape.  Furthermore, The Thermals definitely have a more successful punk, pop, almost garage sound, something that hasn't drawn me in for a long time.  

The Thermals typically tackle ideas of love in their albums here and there, but "Personal Life" in its entirety is devoted to the concept of love as can easily be seen in the track list with songs like "I'm Gonna Change Your Life" and "Your Love Is So Strong."  However, what is nice about The Thermals is that, while they have sort of a grainy,  fixed punk sound, they manage to twist and turn it so that each song has a different feel.  My favorite song on the album, "I Don't Believe You," has a string of bouncy guitar chords strewn throughout with soft percussion occasionally coming in strong to fill the vocal silence.  While the song is simple lyrically, it is incredibly catchy and will definitely strike that foot tappin', head bangin' nerve in your spine.  

Complimenting the first song, "I'm Gonna Change Your Life," is the track "You Changed My Life" at the tail end of the album.  The slow steady bass line and almost apologetic vocals of Hutch Harris really show how The Thermals' sound can morph and make you feel something entirely different.  Instead of head bangin', you're definitely going to want to sway back and forth to this track.  The lyrics in this song are a bit more complicated than in "I Don't Believe You" and provide an interesting juxtaposition of feelings with those expressed in "I'm Gonna Change Your Life."

While the album is pretty short (only ten songs, barely an LP), and some of the tracks don't seem to carry the same weight some their stronger songs do, The Thermals manage to convey a wealth of emotion and sound within the short track list.  From the uptempo guitar licks of "I Don't Believe You" to the more mild mannered, empathetic tone of "You Changed My Life," The Thermals carry the listener across the pains, warmth, struggles, and treasures of love.  I would definitely recommend picking up The Thermals' "Personal Life" when it comes out on September 7th and enjoy a sound that is seldom seen in the popular music light.